New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

Thanks for that Glen - awesome idea! I'm willing to facilitate any appeal in any way I can e.g. set up an online petition on paydirt to gather signatures and details to pass on to the powers that be, but not knowing enough about the laws involved have been reluctant to head-up anything myself directly.

So what's everyone else think? Worth getting an online petition going, then someone with the right knowledge taking the petition to the next stage - present it to the politicians?

I have an email from my local MP who has requested a meeting around this subject. Will keep you all posted.

Thank you,
Glen.

Hello, the first meeting is Monday August 30th at 10.30am. We have a couple of weeks to gather details.

Thank you,
Glen.

In the meantime look over these:
http://new.dpi.vic.gov.a...ospecting-and-fossicking

http://www.pmav.org.au/

I will draw information from these sources for the meeting.

Edited by user Monday, 9 August 2010 4:30:53 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Awesomely awesome in your awesomeness Glen. My hat off to you too. I am old enough to remember Prospector's Rights, especially when "user pays" came in. Overnight, the Rights went from $8 a year to $80.

I am all for a petition or "expressions of interest". Internet gathering though, you have to be careful of the Privacy Laws - type of info gathered, how and where it is stored and who has access to the raw data. Our MP is Colin King, an original "man of the land" competed in Golden Shears I think. I might have to send him an email too

Nice one Glen, just sent my email to you - hopefully you'll get a lot more!

Hi Glen.
? Are these submitted emails only going to be used as ammunition in your meeting with your local member? Or will they eventually be forwarded to Gerry Brownley as per?

Starflash, puts forward a couple of valid points, that should deserve careful consideration before proceeding down any path that may be decided.

There’s an old saying, that “If you go off halfcocked, you may not deliver a successful shot”
The reference being, that as we are only going to get the one shot at this daunting task, then we have to make it a good one.

Cheers---Colin.

P.S. Who the hells “CHESTER”?

Hi starflash,

I've not heard any stories directly of people getting nabbed, but have come across a few articles online. Not sure how common this sort of thing is though - hopefully rare(!?) as not come across too many reports ...

MOUNTAIN SCENE - THURSDAY, APRIL 15 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1993 'STALKED'

Sir, I note that in recent Queenstown police reports, no mention has been made of the local police making history in the Wakatipu a few weeks ago.

I refer to police riding shot-gun in a helicopter hired by Otago Regional Council and their over zealous field officer, searching many small rivers and streams for recreational or hobby miners like myself, or holidaymakers, retired pensioners and a few blokes who have not got a job and are not on the dole.

It must have been very exciting and a big challenge for them, especially when they could only catch a chap who has made the Eight Mile hut his home for the last few summers, and a couple from Invercargill who were having a well-earned break from their jobs back home, using a (2 inch) dredge.

What an insult to our pionering families who came here to search for the elusive gold. They set up our towns, the roads, planted trees and made this an area we are so proud to be part of, especially the gold mining history.

I know we have not got mining licences because there is no such thing for nomadic small dredge goldminers, maybe we have not got a water right, but nobody has been caught mining other people's claims.

I am sure the ORC and Queenstown-Lakes District Council could join the hobby goldminers and sort this mess out without police protection.

So please ORC and other departments get off our backs till you come up with something constructive. We older gold fossickers do not appreciate being stalked by helicopter carrying rangers who need police protection.

Good hunting to both ORC and all my dredging friends. One that got away.

Queenstown

Article pulled in using Online OCR from Article Image.

And another that wasn't successful with OCR process, but from the Greymouth Star in 2007 - Article Image.

EDIT - Links to 2 photos of articles in papers removed as RKC wasn't pleased with the site linking to them.

Edited by user Tuesday, 24 August 2010 6:39:28 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Robert requested links to his photos to be removed.

Hi Glen,

Did you get much support from other members of the forums? Any developments?

Cheers,
Gavin

Hi ALL.

Is some clarification needed here?

The CMA (Crown minerals Act) and the RMA (Resource management Act) both came into effect on 1 October 1991.

The “CMA” enables the allocation and management of the rights, to prospect, explore or mine minerals that are owned by the Crown
(both on/under Crown land and private land). This process is carried out by the issuing of permits under the CMA.
Note that the CMA only covers minerals owned by the Crown.
Minerals not owned by the Crown are not subject to the CMA.

---

The “RMA” provides for:
The development of minerals programs, and also the setting out the policies for the
allocation of Crown-owned mineral resources like, district plans, resource consents, environmental effects,etc. This means that anything to do with the environment are dealt with under the Resource Management Act
The RMA Ministry also advises and assists the Minister for the Environment with their responsibilities under the RMA. These include, requests for ministerial intervention, and also applications for water conservation orders, and heritage protection authorities.
I.E. they look after the Crowns interests.

Cheers---Colin.

Hello,

Today's meeting was short but productive. It is good to see a wealth of knowledge come forward from people around the CMA and RMA.

I would ask that you approach your local MP and put forward your case. Request that your local MP forward your case to the minister in charge. I understand that Nick Smith is in the process of reviewing the RMA, this may also cover the CMA. If you approach as I have, eventually we will find the correct person and path to address the issue.

I passed on a copy of my Victoria/ AUS prospectors license and the associated legislation around the license.

I expecting a letter to be sent to Nick Smith and in due course to receive a reply. The reply may provide more information on what direction we must head, or it may provide information on what is under review, that we will have to wait and see.

Thank you,
Glen.

Edited by user Monday, 30 August 2010 1:29:15 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified